Photos from Channel 4 Action News & meteorologist Demetrius Ivory in Punxsutawney, PA and the national Groundhog Day ceremony on Gobbler's Knob. Thousands began coming out at 3 a.m. These photos are from 3 a.m. to 6:30a.m. (Click here for Part 2)

Photos from Action News & Meteorologist Demetrius Ivory in Punxsutawney, PA and the national Groundhog Day ceremony on Gobbler's Knob. Thousands began coming out at 3 a.m. These photos are from 6:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. (Click here for Part 1)

Following a recent stretch of weather that's included temperatures well below freezing as well as record warmth, tornadoes in the South and Midwest and torrential rains in the mid-Atlantic, Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his lair Saturday in front of thousands but didn't see his shadow.

Legend has it that if the furry rodent sees his shadow on Feb. 2 on Gobbler's Knob in west-central Pennsylvania, winter will last six more weeks. But if he doesn't see his shadow, spring will come early.

The prediction is made during a ceremony overseen by a group called the Inner Circle. Members don top hats and tuxedos for the ceremony on Groundhog Day each year.

The 1993 movie "Groundhog Day" starring Bill Murray brought even more notoriety to the Pennsylvania party. The record attendance was about 30,000 the year after the movie's release, said Katie Donald, executive director of the Groundhog Club. About 13,000 attend if Feb. 2 falls on a weekday.

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